Tuesday, December 30, 2014

I was observing our adorable twenty-one year old bartender last weekend, and the most wonderful notion came to mind...I love that I'm not her.

That may seem like a nasty thing to think, but it comes from a place of love and acceptance. Love for this girl I don't know, someone most women are likely jealous of; and acceptance of myself. I used to be this girl, working two jobs to make ends meet, always exhausted but content to pay my own way, constantly happy but completely unfulfilled...I might miss the endless energy and size two jeans, but I wouldn't go back. Asses grow larger, hearts grow more fragile as they get broken over and over. Life deals out continuous tests, and the constant pressure will either crush you, or transform you into a diamond. As I watched her flirt and giggle with co-workers and guests, I didn't feel anger or jealousy; after all, she will always be younger, cuter, skinnier than I; I felt love. My heart reached out to this girl who I used to be.

It was at this same moment that I decided to shed the insecurities I've carried around for years. I'm not proud to say that I can be pretty harsh in my initial judgments of people, especially when those people happen to be younger women. I've wasted time judging strangers and myself, incessantly comparing, silently putting myself down. I spent the first summer in our new apartment complex feeling like a cow because I wasn't the same size as the twenty-somethings running around in bikinis. How silly. Comparing my seeming shortcomings because someone else is thinner? Or younger? Sheesh. My bad habit of snapping to judgments has been unhealthy for my soul, and I'm ready to let that shit go.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, Thank You, bartendress! You have helped me more than you know, I finally feel free.

Saturday, December 20, 2014

I don't know how I did it, but I forgot to share our utterly amazing Turkey-Day deets! I was browsing through my pictures the other day, and as my mouth began to water, I remembered how I wanted to share this with everyone and anyone with a taste bud in their mouth. This was the second year we've smoked a turkey for Thanksgiving, and it turned out crazy-juicy and delicious...My mouth's watering again!

I don't mean to toot our own horn, but we have gotten damn good at smoking meat. Sometimes we don't get the smoke ring, and other times we don't get that yummy bark, but the flavor is always amazing; and my affinity for BBQ has grown exponentially. To be honest, I kinda always figured barbecue was for hillbillies, and I couldn't get into it. I couldn't have been more wrong (or snobby)! There's something magical about taking a hunk of meat and giving it hours of TLC to produce something that is so...original. You can't cheat with true barbecue. You either do it well and it turns out amazing, or you do it poorly. Matt and I have read about a thousand articles and picked through the many online smoking forums to devise our best smoking practices, and we haven't even touched the tip of the iceberg.

Enough blabber from me! This turkey was better than last year, it had a beautiful dark bark, and was so juicy it was spilling over the cutting board when we carved it. It also made phenomenal leftover "kitchen sink" sandwiches! Enjoy our Thanksgiving tradition in pictures...

The best sandwich in the world...stuffing, mashers, turkey, and cranberry sauce...Yum!

Prepping the feast!

I rubbed our bird down the night before with butter, parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper,then stuffed the cavity with oranges and red onion.Most of this fell out when we moved the turkey from the pan to the smoker (whoops).

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

My good friend Dawn posted this on Facebook, and I was excited to participate. This is simply heartbreaking, but it reminds us what the littlest acts of kindness and creativity can mean to someone else. Why not take a half hour of your time and help make this little girl's Christmas a little less lonely?

From M. Tate Photography..."There's a little girl in Utah named Addie who is 6 years old and likely celebrating her last Christmas. Addie was diagnosed with a terminal illness - a kind of brain atrophy. She and her sisters also lost their father recently. Addie loves handmade Christmas cards. If you'd like to send one to her and her sisters, you can send it to: Addie Lynn & Sisters, P. O. Box 162, Fountain Green, UT 84632."

Here's my card:

Post your homemade card, or send to me via email at morganalebold@yahoo.com, and I'll share them on a future post! Merry Christmas!

Sunday, December 14, 2014

I do not enjoy wrapping presents. (Does anyone, really?) You have to spend all kinds of money on gift tags, bows, ribbon, tissue paper, and wrapping paper, just for it to look pretty for a couple days and then DESTROYED. It's so wasteful! Aside from that, wrapping gifts is time consuming, and most of us can't seem to get those darn corners just so... Humbug!

I got to wrap a skateboard this year. This caused me a lot of stress, because the perfectionist inside me wanted this gift to look gorgeous. I was doubly stressed because my good friends Google and Pinterest didn't offer any help whatsoever. I looked everywhere online, and found a few people like myself who had posed the question, "How to wrap a skateboard?" on public forums. Poking around these sites, I found the extremely helpful, "Find a big box to put it in." Wow, who'da thunk of something so clever?

My issues were these three: 1) I didn't want it to look like a wrapped skateboard; 2) I wasn't going to be in the house to present the gift, so I couldn't do a neat treasure-hunt design to find the gift elsewhere; 3) this was a pretty heavy piece that would probably break through a box (or so I felt).

Luckily, I date a smarty-McGee, and he noticed my two-day spiral over something seemingly simple. After his obvious statement that the gift doesn't have to be wrapped to perfection; I gave it a stab. And it turned out just fine and dandy! I wanted to share my pictures and experience; just in case some other skateboard-gifter is having the same dilemma.

Wrap the board with butcher paper so the wheels don't poke out of the finished product, then wrap this butcher paper with your pretty wrapping paper of choice.

Turn the skateboard over so that the wheels face up.
This gives you a flat surface to lift and move your gift!

Turn your corners up and tape to secure the ends. Decorate with bows and such, and handle with care.Happy wrapping!

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Football season means Sunday snacking in my house, and I am always trying to keep it half-way healthy. "Healthy", meaning I don't do bacon-wrapped everything, haha!

I'll chop up a whole array of veggies, cheeses, and meats, and instead of buying a pre-made dip full of mayo and sodium, I like to whip up my own, using Greek yogurt or Light Sour Cream. This morning, I found a few ideas online that I tweaked to our liking. Let me know what you think!

I sautéed in EVOO 1/8 of a small red onion, minced, along with 2Tbs minced garlic, until tender. I then took it off the heat and mixed in a couple splashes Worcestershire and a small handful of chopped parsley. To this concoction, I added salt, pepper, Cayenne, and a whole bunch of dried dill, and let cool. I'm more of a spicy gal, so omit the Cayenne if you're not a fan.

I know I said I'm not a fan of mayo, but dips sometimes need that extra little tang. So I used a couple Tablespoons of mayo, and about 8 ounces Light Sour Cream, and folded everything together. Let this chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, which will also allow your flavors to develop. Then, dig in and enjoy being semi- healthy.

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

The magic of music:
I fell asleep last night to the soothing sounds of my "Classical music for studying" station on Pandora, and woke up feeling better than I have in weeks. A sense of calm surrounds me, I'm ready to take on the day. I don't even feel like screaming at these terrible drivers on my way to work… Well, maybe just a splash!

My dad always used to tell me that listening to classical music makes you smarter. I don't know if that's exactly true, but calmer? Absolutely. And maybe, in this crazy life that we have, calmer is smarter. Embracing calm allows you to take a step back and focus on what's most important in your busy day, your nonstop life. Being calm allows you to choose your battles more wisely; and gives you time to create a kick ass strategy when you want to go to war. Being calm allows you to act in the best interest of not only your self, but your fellow man.

Thursday, November 27, 2014

This is my absolute favorite holiday of the year. Mostly, because it involves over-eating and socially acceptable day-drinking. Plus, unlike Christmas, Thanksgiving provides a day to be with the ones we love, and reflect on what we are grateful for, without the materialism of forced gift-giving.

I've been appalled that year after year, stores are opening earlier and earlier for Black Friday. This year, there are even a handful of stores opening today at 4 and 5 o'clock! Yeah, hanging out with your family ALL DAY might not be everyone's cup of tea, but come on! The only thing that can possibly compel a business to rob their employees of time to be with their families is greed; pure and simple. And we as consumers allow it by ditching our loved ones and lining up to give these stores our money. It's not what this holiday was ever about, and it seems that most have allowed the meaning to become lost, overshadowed by the promise of a great deal.

So, I am boycotting Black Friday in its entirety. The entire concept of shopping for Christmas on Thanksgiving is what's wrong with us as a nation. We have everything, but think we need more. We have this incredible opportunity once a year to really enjoy each other, to take a step back and breathe, to be in the moment and reflect on how amazing our lives are.

Why not take today and appreciate what you do have?

I'm grateful for my good health, my warm home, my loving boyfriend, my talented sister and her shining light of a daughter. I am grateful to have a good job, and all the things that go along with it. I'm grateful to have girlfriends who I would trust with my life, and a family who wishes I was close. There are too many things to list (Matt has the pleasure of hearing all of them later)!

My hope is that each one of you have a wonderful holiday, full of love and laughter and very much food.Happy Thanksgiving!

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Holiday drinks are always high calorie nightmares for those watching their intake. But...it's the holidays, and much more enjoyable to pretend that calories don't exist; indulge; and start anew January 2nd. That gives us a full month of guilt-free deliciousness... Hooray! This is going to be our 2014 go-to for the season of parties and weekend day-drinking: Captain and Cider.

The recipe I found called for an ounce and a half of Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum, and 8 ounces of cider. I picked up some all-natural apple cider and we simmered the Captain, along with a couple cinnamon sticks. It ended up being a little strong due to the adorable little mugs we used, but that's something I can easily get over, haha. I have these neat little pots with spill-proof lips that my dad gave me, which made this an easy and "oops-free" way to drink our way into the holidays!

Saturday, November 22, 2014

I try to shy away from posting pictures of myself online, I'm no model and I have to admit that I get a little judge-y when girls go selfie-crazy. But... I had a really good hair day, so I figured it couldn't hurt to post just a couple!

This was actually the result of pure laziness with a touch of good luck, I really just didn't feel like straightening all my hair. I pulled half into a loose bun and after securing it with a ponytail holder, I pulled the edges around and used about a thousand bobby pins to secure it and make it into a prefect round donut.

Working in an office full of women has taught me a few important things, some good and some bad:

1) Women cry. A lot. The nice thing is that if we spurt a few tears during the course of a very-stressful day, there's someone there to give you a hug and a tissue.
2) Women need to be constantly assured that they look good. This is an easy one, tell a coworker she's pretty or has a nice dress on, she'll cherish that nugget for the rest of the day. You know when she lugs out her shiny boots and struts around the office? She's fishing for a compliment, and you both will feel better if you just give it.
3) Women judge everything. The same way a woman likes to be told she looks great, she loves even more to unjustifiably, ceaselessly judge. It doesn't matter if your pants are too shiny or if you have bags under your eyes, she'll point it out, maybe even trying to hide it within a "compliment". "You look so tired," has got to be my favorite.
4) Women who are threatened by you will try the hardest to make you feel bad. (See #3.)
5) Women (the good ones, at least) have the ability to let you vent vehemently about work or personal issues, and then pretend it never happened. As long as they are trustworthy, your stories go into a vault, and then you can go back to normal. Women don't treat you like a crazy person after (like, ahem, men).
6) When you take just a little bit of time to get to know your female coworkers, they will turn into your Mama Bear and go to war for you. I don't know if this is actually true across the board, but I must say that I don't hate being "Mama Beared" by my colleagues.
7) It is important to give everyone on the team appropriate and regular praise. After all, they spend the majority of their time away from families who probably don't appreciate all the things they do at home; so why not make them feel good about what they do at work?
8) No matter what you do, or how nice you are, there will always be someone who doesn't like you. This can be hard to deal with, especially because women can be vicious. But, as Oscar Wilde said, "The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about."

Some may not agree with this, but I believe that failing can make you a stronger person, and uncovers the opportunity to create a better version of yourself...IF you know what to do with these little nuggets...

I fail often, and it gets frustrating...until I remember that I can learn a lesson and try again. I take mental notes constantly; every time I get that yucky feeling that "It" could have gone better. And you know what, the next time, "It" does go a little bit better (usually, haha).

Instead of fearing failure, why not embrace the inevitable, many blunders you make in your life?

Every day, every moment, in fact, presents a chance to turn it all around. (Is that line from a movie? I think it is...) There is an unending opportunity to take the things that you aren't thrilled with in your life and fix them. To be a good person, a forgiving partner, a more involved family member. It takes action, awareness, and most importantly, kicking yourself off your pedestal.

No one is perfect, but that doesn't mean you can't strive for perfection. Not fearing failure is freedom, pure and simple. What was your most recent failure?

Thanks to my best friend The Internet, I found a few recipes and tricks that make deviled eggs easy and healthy! On Ruhlman's blog, I found a fabulously helpful post about deviled eggs, including how long to boil them for (until just boiling), how long to simmer them for (about 15 minutes), and the importance of an ice bath after. He also shared the tip that when you slice the eggs in half instead of lengthwise, and cut off just the tip of each end, the become even more adorable (my words), and easier to fill!

This deviled eggs recipe uses only a few ingredients: half of an avocado, 1/8 cup or so of Dijon mustard, and some lemon juice to brighten up the taste. Salt and pepper should be added to your liking, as well. This will fill about 4-5 eggs, so duplicate as needed. After mixing your ingredients in a bowl, spoon it into a plastic bag and cut just the tip off, making a faux pastry bag. This is my absolute favorite trick of all time, and I use it for everything!

Pipe the filling into your eggs, and sprinkle with fresh or dried parsley flakes. I also added a piece of bacon to each egg, which made them look like they were wearing little bacon hats...YUM!

I'm not embarrassed to say that editing and uploading these pictures makes my mouth water. This was our best brisket yet, and I have finally committed to keeping a "Smoking Diary" to keep track of our best meats, and the blunders to be avoided. The way that we're going, I'm going to have a booklet of PURE GOLD in a few years! And I might weigh 800 pounds, but it would be totally worth it. I cheated on the store-bought mac and cheese and dinner rolls, because after babying this brisket for eight hours, it's hard to worry about anything more.

This was a 2.7 pound brisket that I bought from Giant Eagle. I don't think there's any sense in spending more money by going to a specialty meat store, since brisket isn't a great cut of meat, anyways. So until we open a gourmet smoke shop, supermarket meat works just fine! We preheated our smoker to 200 degrees (we've found on the electric smoker, going lower than the recommended 225 seems to work best), and popped the brisket on at 9am, fat-side down. I had rubbed this baby down the night before, and we let it come to room temperature before starting to cook. We found it rose in temp quickly, then held at 156 degrees for most of the day, which caused us a bit of panic. Apparently, this is completely normal for a brisket to rise quickly and hold its temp, but knowing that doesn't make it any easier to not mess with!

We let it cook for about nine hours, hoping the temperature would rise to 185, but it just never got there. So this was super moist, but a touch chewy. Next time, we plan to cook at 210 degrees, and I may change it to fat-side up. I've read through smoking forums that recommend both ways, no one seems to have solid evidence as to what is consistently best for the fat side. So, stay tuned! I accept the challenge of the brisket.

I have this wonderful quote in my office that says, "Be curious, not judgmental."

I work in an office where the majority are women, and it seems that in this industry I chose, this is quite the norm. I'm not saying all women are bitchy, but as part of the fairer sex, I do know that we can be overly-sensitive. I also participate (accidentally, mind you) in the phenomenon that I like to call "Zero to Crazy". This is when one seemingly innocent or insignificant thing happens, and it sets off a quick-reacting string of thoughts that leads to CrazyTown. Sometimes it takes a full day to get to CrazyTown, sometimes it only takes a few minutes. In fact, I was just there last night! It took a couple hours to make the trip, and luckily the visit didn't last the whole evening...but I'm afraid that story belongs to a different day, and a different post.

The reason I searched out this quote about being curious is because it is SO easy when communicating via email with needy clients and competitive women, to misconstrue the smallest note or comment. I've written before about how women should be lifting each other up, but this can't happen without communication. And communication without immediate judgment. So instead of seeing red when someone does something seemingly stupid or mean, I take a deep breath and a step back. If I were to approach the situation without emotion, what was this person trying to communicate? If I can't figure it out using logic, I ask. Every once in a while, the person was really trying to be shitty. But 90% of the time, it was innocent on their part and just misunderstood on mine.

Can you imagine if everyone took the curious road, instead of immediately assuming they knew the intent of the other person? We could spend so much more time getting things done, and eliminate unnecessary strife and drama.

I used to be a very picky eater. My mom was a health-food nut, and even though I'll eat all kinds of "disgusting" veggies now, it wasn't something I wanted any part of when I was a kid. They also hadn't invented edible whole-grain bread back then, so I was stuck with sprouts-and-cucumber sandwiches between two slices of cardboard. It's surprising that I didn't get beat up every day at school!

It seems that each year that's gone by, I've added more foods to my "OK" list. First it was green peppers, then red peppers, mushrooms, sushi (I know that's not a vegetable, but whatevs), and now, squash. Specifically, spaghetti squash. This recipe is my veggie favorite, and when I'm cooking for just me, it's a healthy and easy dinner! (The boyfriend is still riding the "veggies are gross" train.)

Take a small-ish spaghetti squash and poke holes all over with a fork, then microwave for about 8 minutes, so you can cut it without the danger of slicing your finger off. (The first time I made this, I tried to cut it while raw, and realized 1) that I am not The Hulk, and 2) I am smarter than the squash. So, I microwave it first to make it a bit easier and safer for my piggies.) Using a towel to remove, because it will scorch your little fingers, place on a cutting board and cut in half length-wise. Then, place face-down in a glass casserole dish with about a 1/4 inch of water, and pop in the microwave for another 8 minutes. While this is cooking, slice up your fave veggies (I used red onion and Roma tomato).

When the squash is cooked, you can use a fork and just shred off as much as you want to eat. Toss the squash strands with EVOO, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning to taste, and your veggies. Pour a glass of vino and trick your brain into thinking you're eating actual noodles! If you smother it in marinara, it's even better.

Sunday, November 9, 2014

Matt and I made the 5-hour treck to Michigan this weekend for his wonderful mother's birthday celebration. As we were driving at a responsible speed for all of these five hours, we witnessed oh-so many terrible drivers. Not terrible like, "Hey there, you didn't use your blinker," but terrible as in, "Pleeeease pull that person over before they kill someone." I rarely root for cops, but there were a couple times yesterday that I was hoping for one to materialize. How come they are always there to speed-trap you on your way to work in the morning, but there's no one to reprimand that tailgater at 90 miles per hour? All you can do is look on and hope they don't come near you.

It's always been a slightly terrifying experience driving in Ohio. I see accidents every day, and I guarantee my blood pressure spikes on the 30-minute drive to and from the office five days a week. How much less stressful would your drive be if you knew that people were not using their vehicles as weapons? If you knew that someone wasn't going to cut you off, would you be more willing to let them into your lane? If you knew that the car in front of you wasn't going to break check you, would you continue to tailgate? I'm making a Pledge to make my driving safer, by realizing that my massive vehicle is in actuality a deadly machine if misused.

I pledge not to text, or read texts while in motion; I pledge not to use my vehicle in an aggressive manner; I pledge to understand that a moment's distraction can mean a lifetime of regret.

Sunday, November 2, 2014

“ On October 31, All Hallows Eve, the children make a children's altar to invite the angelitos (spirits of dead children) to come back for a visit. November 1 is All Saints Day, and the adult spirits will come to visit. November 2 is All Souls Day, when families go to the cemetery to decorate the graves and tombs of their relatives. The three-day fiesta filled with marigolds, the flowers of the dead; muertos (the bread of the dead); sugar skulls; cardboard skeletons; tissue paper decorations; fruit and nuts; incense, and other traditional foods and decorations. ”
—Frances Ann Day, Latina and Latino Voices in Literature(Latina and Latino Voices in Literature, Greenwood Publishing Group, page 72)

Today is "All Souls Day", when families can go to the cemetery and adorn the graves of their relatives with beautiful flowers. Living across the country from my family and friends makes it impossible to physically visit the final resting places of those loved and lost over the years; and truthfully, All Souls Day is not something I would have been interested in participating in when I lived in Colorado. I was much more inclined to pretend that death didn't, or wouldn't, happen.

Of course, memories float in every once in a while about friends who have died too young, or family members I wish I could give one more hug to; but the last few days I've been deliberately thinking about those I've lost. It always hurts, but why not choose to celebrate the time we had together instead of pushing those memories away? All Souls Day gives us the opportunity to celebrate the life that was, and I've decided to embrace this tradition.

Death is not something I deal with well. It is so much happier to pretend life will go on forever, than to realize that death comes to us all. I've always wanted to change my thought process surrounding the inevitable. I know the reason I get so sad about death is because I'm terrified for this wonderful life to end; it's pure selfishness. I don't know how I will survive when I lose my sister, or Matt, or my mom, or my best friend (to be honest, I hope I die first). It makes my heart hurt just to think about a world without those I love the most in it, and even more to know almost for certain that I will experience that pain.

BUT...The Day of the Dead and the celebrations that follow provide me the opportunity to face death somewhat fearlessly...I choose to celebrate life AND death.

I woke up this morning to a clean kitchen and my boyfriend cooking eggs. "Let's make breakfast pizza!" He exclaimed. I. Love. His. Face... The only thing I might love more is pizza in the morning!

We pre-cooked a Pillsbury thin-crust pizza, then topped with 6 cooked eggs, 1/5 of a red onion, 4 strips cooked bacon, and strips of cheddar cheese (I was too lazy to grate).

Sprinkle everything you want on top of your pizza dough, and cook at 350 degrees until melty (about 10 minutes). I think next time, we may spoon a thin layer of sweet barbecue sauce or pesto over the crust first, just to help the eggs stick. You couldn't ask for a more delicious way to start your Sunday!

Friday, October 31, 2014

Happy Halloween, party people! For those of you who have kiddos and need a last-minute class treat; or the child-less who treat their coworkers to regular goodies, this one's for you. This is crazy-easy and pretty adorable.

The most time-intensive piece of this project is unwrapping the dark chocolate kisses, but after that, creation is a breeze...Just squeeze a decent amount of icing onto a cookie (I used the Keebler "thin mints"), press a chocolate kiss in the middle so some oozes out the sides. Then, depending on your icing finesse, draw a little bow onto each. Done!

I always felt it was important to distinguish what I meant by "Dummies" especially while putting it in the same sentence as "Positivity".

I mean someone who doesn't speak up when they should; someone who doesn't care about their fellow man; someone who is close minded. Positivity is spread by speaking up about injustices; making a change for the better in yourself, your family, and your community; being open to other's beliefs and ideas...You get the idea.